How Do We Live in an Anti-Ecological Environment … Four Differences and One Answer

 

How Do We Live in an Anti-Ecological Environment … Four Differences and One Answer  

Sooner or later, wittingly or unwittingly, we must pay for every intrusion on the natural environment.  Barry Commoner

 

If Ecology rules in a certain environment, where does Anti-Ecology rule? 

On one hand, the broad rule of Ecology oversees the integration of variable ecosystems to exist and survive together by maintaining discourse among all of them including human interactions. The guiding ecological principles are manifested to help every organism at whatever level to function better through diversity, make connections, manage feedback loops to improve, adapt to changes and promote co-operation and self-governance, without ego.

The general laws of Ecology imply that everything is connected to everything else, everything has a place and purpose, there is no final waste, where matter and energy are preserved and there is no free lunch…what goes up must come down...what goes round, keeps cycling.   

On the other hand, what does it mean to be in a place that can be called anti-ecological with counter-ecological behavior. 

The most obvious and critical difference would be found in a capitalist environment.

Capitalism can be defined as an “ economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit (rather than state). Private property and the recognition of property rights, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system and competitive markets are all features. Wikipedia

In other words, MONEY becomes the most meaningful connection between things whether social relationships and/or nature. It’s all about the marketplace and consumer communications that know best and want more not less. 

There are four basic differences between commercial capitalism 

and ecological partnerships.  

One:  All Nature’s integrated processes are disconnected and reduced to one common denominator … 

...a revenue process to make profits on the kind of products the marketplace demands via culture and media. Do we want organic coffee, farm-raised mink furs, genetically modified wheat, more plastic doo-dads or finding more finite sources of fossil fuels?

For example,  "In today’s parlance we call this new kind of agroecosystem a monoculture, meaning a part of nature that has been reconstituted to the point that it yields a single species, which is growing on the land only because somewhere there is a strong market demand for it.” Donald Worster

Two: Nature’s encoded programs run on circular systems or cycles 

...but economic production runs on  a linear assembly line where waste is common as long as capital is the main key to protect. Utilize a resource with “no deposit and no return.”

In fact, if pollution happens, treat it as an external side effect that is not part of the production quota. Just consider air pollution caused by a factory is not an internal cost of production but rather an external cost to be borne by nature and society. Its OK if other people or communities or nature itself bear the cost.

To try and recycle can become difficult because of the degree of division of nature.  For example, animals raised in feedlots have natural waste that becomes a serious form of pollution rather than normal fertilizer. Think about plastics that have replaced wood, steel and other products but are not biodegradable for centuries.  

Three: Nature organizes every community for each other’s benefits 

...food, shelter and protection. Businesses are only concerned about manipulating market shares for themselves rather than equity or quality for everyone.  

For example, food becomes more valuable if it  can earn more profits through bulk production with increased nitrogen fertilizers. It doesn’t matter if the mineral compositions of the soil are unbalanced which in turn affects the mineral content of the vegetable grown on it.  Why not use more pesticides to protect the appearance of the produce? Why not use GMO seeds that work in the laboratory composition but may have unknown long-term human side effects? 

In the end, the quality of food is debased, birds and other species are killed, and food chains even for humans are contaminated. What affects one, affects us all.

 Four: the real value of natural wealth is grounded on generating profits 

....with high energy technologies and less labor inputs if possible. Larger corporations, ever-merging, seem to make the major decisions about the technology based on their profitability with the inherent drive to continue to grow on an ever-increasing scale.  Motive is about “mini-cars make mini-profits… we make more money on big cars.”  Non-renewable resources are more quickly depleted, and more wastes dumped into the environment.

My ANSWER

Do we need to continue to believe these statements?

"Nature only exists  because there is a market?

               “Nature’s bounty is a free gift to the property owner to use to make money.”

Part of the answer, I believe, is making an individual choice to adapt to a radically different environment. Commercial capitalism is a closed loop between business and consumer. Only the consumer can manage some of those links, modify social media hype, and adapt to a simpler lifestyle and economy. 

When human contact can become infectious in a global community of 7.5 billion people because of an organic element that may be from nature, then we must become more environmentally conscious citizens and respect ecology’s principles and succession.  

 "We can’t have healthy people on an unhealthy planet. The COVID crisis has shown us that nature, health, inequality and the economy are all interrelated and people are at the center."

 Nature’s bounty and conservation are everyone’s business and we must stand side by side with Nature that it cannot be bought or abused. There must be a bigger call for collective action to reverse nature loss and prevent an array of ecological problems. There must be greater awareness that ecology connects us all as a Big Picture that tries to unify and  broaden participation for everyone and everything. 

Perhaps, in the manner of Nature's ecological succession, we can also learn more about facilitating our own social succession in such changing unprecedented times.

What is your favorite part of nature that has no commercial value?

Comments are always appreciated: 833 471 4661 (leave the best time to chat). 

Annemarie

amarie10@gmail.com

https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com

..my pussy willows at the creek on the farm

Podcast Answer #4: Why Nature Doesn’t Produce Garbage? 7 Ways to Limit our Own Garbage with New Reality.

Podcast Answer #4: Why Nature Doesn’t Produce Garbage? 7 Ways to Limit our Own Garbage with New Reality.

Environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only be prevented. 

Barry Commoner: The Closing Circle, Making Peace with the Planet

First, Nature does not produce waste … it is a unique faulty human flaw.

Think about this … you can draw a straight line to infinity, but you can draw a circle only once.

Nature uses a brilliant cyclical system with a few elements, nutrients and metabolisms that are used and reused in continuous cycles. Every organism contributes to the health of the whole ecosystem. One organism’s waste is food for another where nutrients and energy flow work together in closed-loop cycles of growth, decay and rebirth. 

Simply put, any waste is converted into food.

Simply put, a bag of garbage will be handled differently if it is put on a straight line conveyor belt or into a circular band to manage. 

Humans are take-make-waste consumers who produce waste on a linear system:

 1. Extract materials  2. Process 3. Use ( often briefly) 4. Throw out

Natures works with a circular Ecosystem where materials are used and recycled constantly. There are diverse players, cooperative relationships and feedback loops.

The last stage in an ecosystem is natural decay or decomposition of the soil’s top layer or humus into simple organic compounds that the plants can use again to perpetuate their growth.

So, the big question is how humans can follow more circular systems especially within a new reality of new products. Here are 7 ways to consider:

ONE: Begin some kind of an organic garbage disposal. Use a mini-decomposer in a small space or a compost pile or bin to recycle decaying organic material, such as food and garden scraps, that will be turned into soil.
          Good things to compost include vegetable peelings, fruit waste, teabags, plant                      prunings,leaves and grass cuttings. Also cardboard egg boxes and even scrunched              up newspaper.
          Do NOT include meat, fish, egg or poultry scraps (odor problems and pests) dairy                  products, grease, lard or oils.
          An interesting note is to add specific kinds of worms to your compost pile. They are              called ‘red wrigglers’  that can digest old vegetation from the surface as different from            common ‘night crawlers’ that tunnel through dirt to eat and can’t live on vegetable                  waste. Who knew nature can be so specific?

TWO: Research products that are manufactured to be more environmentally friendly. More companies are turning trash into products from recycled materials. For example, furniture can be made from post-consumer trash, packaging material can be made from agricultural waste and mushroom roots, bottles can be made of recycled plastic from the ocean, even yarn for clothing like shirts, shorts and socks can consists of recycled plastic ...Nike makes each uniform by using 16 plastic bottles. 

However, will consumers pay more for something that’s environmentally friendly?

THREE:  Learn about using different building components for homes' construction. New developments have produced building components that are 100% biodegradable or 100% recyclable. More natural materials are used to minimize the use of timber; for example, plant materials can be bonded with resin or mesh like sisal carpets or soy boards. Even compressed straw bales can built walls.

FOUR:  Lessen personal plastic use as much as possible. Plastic was first invented in 1907 made from synthetic petrochemicals which means it has no molecules found in nature and unable to decompose. Plastic pollution is now a global problem found in our oceans, our landfills, food webs and even in the stomachs of fish, animals and people.

FIVE: Support research on how to manufacture biodegradable plastics from natural proteins. Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. They are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three that can decompose or metabolize naturally in the environment. The end result is one which is less harmful to the environment than traditional plastics.

In fact, one US company has a mission to eliminate plastic single servings like cutlery or trays from the supermarkets or restaurants They are made from fibers that can compose back into natural elements without leaving a toxic residue.

SIX:  Continue to follow your community’s Reduce, Reuse and Recycle programs. Sort and separate products as outlined for clean bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.

SEVEN: On a personal basis:  experience and build community with clothing swaps, repair stations, toy swaps and food-sharing clubs!  Shop in thrift and consignment stores. Check online vintage shops. Waste less food. Make your own home cleaners and personal care products (vinegar is all-purpose). Use reusable water bottles, not disposable. Reduce auto emissions with essential travel only. 

Certainly, I wish I knew more about Nature’s basic laws when I was younger. Simple respect would have prevented such popular trendy accumulation over the years, now tagged as "junk" suitable for the landfill.

Maybe it is one reason why I am so passionate now to tell the story of Mother Nature as if she was a real living, feeling person.  

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Einstein

One story is a first person narrative of a water sprite with roots in his mission to discover Cyclical Truths.

Another story is about a birch tree who shares his biology, joys, sorrows and his love for his family, community and environment. 

Both are available on my website and as Kindle editions.

Questions and comments are always welcome...

Note for more answers to podcast questions, please check blog. 

Annemarie

amarie10@gmail.com

1 833 471 4661 (please not a time to return a call)

https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com

"As you know, our Nature doesn’t produce garbage. We know that any litter is decomposed and transformed into healthy humus to help new growth. But their food webs have processed such specialized consumers that I have seen mountains upon mountains of garbage of bottles and cans and plastic bags. I have seen our oceans polluted with islands of debris and white sand beaches suffocated under garbage that cannot decompose for hundreds of years. Why don’t people, smart as they are, pass some sensible laws to educate and enforce the kinds of decomposition of garbage that follows a natural matter?"

...excerpt from Ecological Succession of Birchum Birch